One or more aspects relate, in general, to processing within a computing environment, and in particular, to processing associated with generating pseudorandom numbers to be used in computer applications or other types of applications.
Pseudorandom numbers are numbers that appear random, but are not truly random. They are numbers generated by a deterministic computational process that provides statistically random numbers. Since the numbers are produced by a deterministic process, a given sequence of numbers can be reproduced at a later date, if the starting point is known. That is, given a particular function and seed value, the same sequence of numbers is generated by the function.
Pseudorandom numbers are used in numerous computer applications, such as simulation, cryptography, and procedural generation, as examples. Various implementations exist to generate pseudorandom numbers that can be used in these applications. These implementations include, for example, library subroutines, as well as a limited function of the Cipher Message with Chaining instruction available on some processors, such as IBM® z/Architecture capable processors.